Gone Away Words

a ghostbox game

by Edaureen Muhamad Nor

There is an abandoned postbox in the woods, filled with letters from the forgetful, the desperate and those who want to believe. You have come into custody of these missives, written despite any sign of response. 

In this solo epistolary game, you will compose letters, or the remains of such, found in an abandoned postbox. Write from the perspectives of a child corresponding with an imaginary friend; a debtor desperately looking for a way out of their plight; a vigilante crime-fighter communicating with the local paper, and an elderly person using the mail as a reminder system. 

You will need a deck of cards and a way to record your game to play. Playing times vary depending on the amount of writing players wish to do, but a single game may be completed within an hour.

Gone Away Words is a 28-page hack of the game ghostbox by Marx Shepard. The Spades suit available for free in the screenshots at right was originally commissioned by Marx for the dead letters jam. While this game may be played as a standalone, acquiring the original ghostbox game will provide a more rounded, complete experience.